Systems, methods, and media for disabling graphic processing units

ABSTRACT

An information handling system (IHS) provides a method for managing power consumption. The method includes detecting a power-on in the IHS, wherein the IHS comprises a first graphics processing unit (GPU) and at least one additional GPU. The method also includes determining if a normal boot is implemented in the IHS and determining if an instant-on boot occurred if the normal boot is implemented. The at least one additional GPU is disabled if an instant-on boot occurred.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/169,626 filed Jul. 8, 2008; the contents of which isincorporated herewith in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of informationhandling systems. More specifically, but with limitation, the disclosurerelates to multi-core graphics processing.

2. Background Information

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individualsand businesses seek additional ways to process and store information.One option available to users is an information handling system (IHS).An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores,and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or otherpurposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of theinformation. Because technology and information handling needs andrequirements vary between different users or applications, informationhandling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled,how the information is handled, how much information is processed,stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the informationmay be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in informationhandling systems allow for such systems to be general or configured fora specific user or specific use such as financial transactionprocessing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or globalcommunications. In addition, information handling systems may include avariety of hardware and software components that may be configured toprocess, store, and communicate information and may include one or morecomputer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.

An IHS may be provided in a portable housing that may allow the IHS tobe easily transported, herein referred to as a portable IHS. A portableIHS may utilize a battery pack containing multiple rechargeable batterycells. A battery pack may provide a temporary power source to theportable IHS when a continuous power source (e.g., AC power outlet andAC adapter) is not available. However, battery life in portable IHSs mayoften be a concern when operating on power provided by a battery pack.

Within a portable IHS, a multi-core graphics solution may increasegraphics processing ability. A multi-core graphics solution, such asNvidia scalable link interface (SLI) and ATI CrossFire, may utilize twoor more graphics processing units (GPUs) or video cards to processgraphics data and provide high quality graphics. Power consumption mayincrease for a portable IHS with additional GPUs. Due to the increase inpower consumption, it may be difficult to utilize a multi-core graphicssolution in a portable IHS utilizing battery power. Some portable IHSsmay provide other special modes of operation, such as a low power mode,that are not intended to run high intensive 3D type of applications andrequire less power.

Thus, a need exists for methods, apparatus, and media for disabling GPUsin an IHS utilizing multiple GPUs to reduce power consumption.

SUMMARY

The following presents a general summary of several aspects of thedisclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of at least someaspects of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview ofthe disclosure. It is not intended to identify key or critical elementsof the disclosure or to delineate the scope of the claims. The followingsummary merely presents some concepts of the disclosure in a generalform as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

One aspect of the disclosure provides a method for managing powerconsumption in an information handling system (IHS). The method includesdetecting a power-on in the IHS, wherein the IHS comprises a firstgraphics processing unit (GPU) and at least one additional GPU. Themethod also includes determining if a normal boot is implemented in theIHS and determining if an instant-on boot occurred if the normal boot isimplemented. At least one additional GPU is disabled if an instant-onboot occurred.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides an information handling system(IHS) including a first graphics processing unit (GPU) and at least oneadditional GPU, wherein the at least one additional GPU is coupled tothe first GPU by a switch, and the first GPU and the at least oneadditional GPU are coupled to a graphic connector through a bridge. TheIHS also includes a memory operable to store firmware, wherein thefirmware detects whether a power-on occurs in the IHS, and a controllercoupled to the memory, wherein the controller is configured to disablethe at least one additional GPU in the event the power-on occurs and aninstant-on boot occurs.

Yet another aspect of the disclosure provides a computer-readable mediumhaving computer-executable instructions for reducing power consumptionin an information handling system (IHS). The method includes detecting apower-on in the IHS, wherein the IHS comprises a first graphicsprocessing unit (GPU) and at least one additional GPU. The method alsoincludes determining if a normal boot is implemented in the IHS anddetermining if an instant-on boot occurred if the normal boot isimplemented. The at least one additional GPU is disabled if aninstant-on boot occurred.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For detailed understanding of the present disclosure, references shouldbe made to the following detailed description of the several aspects,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which likeelements have been given like numerals and wherein:

FIG. 1 represents an illustrative schematic of an information handlingsystem (IHS) in accordance with one implementation of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 provides an illustrative implementation of a portable IHS;

FIG. 3 represents an illustrative implementation of multi-core graphicssolution; and

FIG. 4 provides an illustrative flow diagram of a multi-core graphicssystem booting process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present apparatus, media, and methods are described, it is tobe understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particularapparatus, systems and methods described, as such may vary. One ofordinary skill in the art should understand that the terminology usedherein is for the purpose of describing possible aspects, embodimentsand/or implementations only, and is not intended to limit the scope ofthe present disclosure which will be limited only by the appendedclaims.

It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims,the singular forms “a,” “and,” and “the” may include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example,reference to “a unit” refers to one or several units, and reference to“a method for managing” includes reference to equivalent steps andmethods known to those skilled in the art, and so forth.

For purposes of this disclosure, an embodiment of an InformationHandling System (IHS) may include any instrumentality or aggregate ofinstrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit,receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect,record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information,intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or otherpurposes. For example, an IHS may be a personal computer, a storagedevice, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape,performance, functionality, and price. The IHS may include random accessmemory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/orother types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the IHS mayinclude one or more disk drives, one or more network ports forcommunicating with external devices as well as various input and output(I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The IHSmay also include one or more buses operable to transmit datacommunications between the various hardware components.

FIG. 1 illustrates one possible implementation of an IHS 5 comprising aCPU 10. It should be understood that the present disclosure hasapplicability to IHSs as broadly described above, and is not intended tobe limited to the IHS 5 as specifically described. The CPU 10 orcontroller may comprise a processor, a microprocessor, minicomputer, orany other suitable device, including combinations and/or a pluralitythereof, for executing programmed instructions. It is appreciated thatexecution of the algorithm to be described below occurs in the processoror the CPU 10. The CPU 10 may be in data communication over a localinterface bus 30 with components including memory 15 and input/outputinterfaces 40. The memory 15, as illustrated, may include non-volatilememory 25. The non-volatile memory 25 may include, but is not limitedto, flash memory 28, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), andelectrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). Thenon-volatile memory 25 may contain a firmware program (not shown) whichmay contain programming and/or executable instructions required tocontrol a keyboard 60, mouse 65, video display 55 and/or otherinput/output devices not shown here. This type of firmware may be knownas a basic input/output system (BIOS). The memory may also compriserandom access memory (RAM) 20. The operating system and applicationprograms (e.g., graphical user interfaces) may be loaded into the RAM 20for execution.

The IHS 5 may be implemented with a network port 45 to permitcommunication over a network 70 such as a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), such as the Internet. As understood by thoseskilled in the art, IHS 5 implementations may also include an assortmentof ports and interfaces for different peripherals and components, suchas video display adapters 35, disk drives port 50, and input/outputinterfaces 40 (e.g., keyboard 60, mouse 65).

FIG. 2 provides an illustrative implementation of a portable IHSindicated generally at 200. The portable IHS 200 may provide a basehousing 210 and a display housing 220. A display housing 220 may includea flat panel display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), which maybe coupled to components in a base housing 210. A base housing 210 mayprovide several of the components present in an IHS (e.g., FIG. 1). Byway of example and not limitation, a base housing 210 may include a CPU,memory, a video display adapter, I/O interfaces, a network port, and adisk drive. A portable IHS 200 may also provide several buttons 230,such as a power button, a special IHS mode button, several displayadjustment buttons, and any other suitable buttons.

Additionally, a portable IHS 200 may include an AC adapter and a batterypack (not shown). An AC adapter may plug into an alternating current(AC) power outlet to power the components of a portable IHS 200 and/orto charge a battery pack. When an AC adapter is not coupled to theportable IHS 200, the components of the portable IHS 200 may be poweredby a battery pack. However, a battery pack may provide a temporary powersource and should be recharged before the battery pack loses power. Thebattery life or the amount of temporary power a battery pack may providemay be depend on the number of battery cells provided in the batterypack and the rate of power consumption for a portable IHS. In someimplementations of a portable IHS, multiple graphics processing units(GPUs) may be utilized to perform graphics data processing. As a result,the rate of power consumption by a portable IHS may increase, which maysignificantly reduce the amount of time that the portable IHS can run ona battery power.

In one implementation of an IHS, a multimedia mode may allow the user toperform a limited set of multimedia operations utilizing an instant-onor quick boot function. By way of example and not limitation, amultimedia mode may allow a user to play a movie or music, display apresentation, or transfer data to flash memory without having to waitfor the entire operating system (OS) to boot. In a normal boot mode, auser may press a power button on an IHS that may cause an OS to beloaded and hardware in the IHS to be fully initialized. In an instant-onor quick boot mode, a simplified OS may be loaded and a limited set ofdevice drivers may be loaded to allow an IHS to be quickly booted. As aresult, not all hardware in the IHS may be initialized and/or an IHS mayprovide limited functionality. For instance, in a multimedia mode, thesimplified OS may be booted and only device drivers needed formultimedia functions may be loaded. Drivers utilized for multimediafunctions may include display drivers, audio/video drivers, I/O drivers(e.g., keyboard, mouse, touchpad, etc.), an optical or hard drivedriver, and any other suitable drivers. In one implementation, aninstant-on or quick boot mode may be initialized by pressing a specialIHS mode button 230.

FIG. 3 represents an illustrative implementation of multi-core graphicssolution. In an IHS, a multi-core graphics solution indicated generallyat 300 may be utilized to provide improved graphics processing. A firstGPU 305 and a second GPU 310 provide multi-core graphics processing forthe IHS. The first GPU 305 and second GPU 310 may be coupled to agraphic connector 393. A graphic connector 393 may provide an interfaceto a motherboard that allows the GPUs 305 and 310 to communicate withother components of an IHS, such as a processor, memory, power source,peripherals, I/O devices, disk drives, and various components of an IHS.The graphic connector 393 may provide a peripheral componentinterconnect express (PCI-E or PCIe) interface or any other suitableinterface for a GPU. In a multi-core graphics solution 300, a bridge 386may be utilized to couple the first GPU 305 and the second GPU 310 tothe graphic connector 393. The bridge 386 may allow both the first GPU305 and second GPU 310 to communicate through the graphic connector 393.The graphic connector 393 may also be coupled to a first power regulator383 and a second power regulator 390, which may allow the first GPU 305and second GPU 310 to be enabled or disabled. A first power regulator383 may provide power to the first GPU 305 and the bridge 386, while asecond power regulator 390 may provide power to the second GPU 310 and aswitch 303. Fans 384 and 388 may also be coupled to the graphicsconnector 393 to provide cooling to the GPUs. Thermal sensors 381 and382, which may measure the temperature of the GPUs, may be coupled to asystem management bus (SMBus) to provide temperature data the OS or thelike. An IHS may utilize the thermal sensors 381 and 382 to detect thetemperature of the GPUs and control fans 384 and 388 to regulate thetemperature of the GPUs 305 and 310 accordingly.

In one implementation of a multi-core graphics solution 300, a first GPU305 and a second GPU 310 may be identical. A host interface 350 mayprovide an interface between a graphics engine 346 and the bridge 386.The graphics engine 346 may be coupled to a video random access memory(VRAM) 313 through a frame buffer interface 326. The VRAM 313 may complywith a version of graphics double data rate (GDDR), such as GDDR2,GDDR3, GDDR4, or GDDR5. Utilizing the VRAM 313, the graphics engine 346may perform video and graphics processing for an IHS. Video and graphicsprocessing may involve performing computations related to video andgraphics data, such as rendering, texture mapping, geometriccalculations, compression, motion compensation, and/or various othertypes of processing performed on video and graphics data. The framebuffer interface 326 may also couple the graphics engine 346 to adisplay engine 330, which may convert the processed data into differentformats for different types of outputs. For instance, a display engine330 may provide a low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) 333,transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) 336, video graphicsarray (VGA) 340, and TV encoder 343 outputs. Each of the differentoutputs may provide a signal in a different protocol and may utilizespecific types of connectors and cables (e.g., LVDS, DVI-out, RGB, andS-Video). For instance, the first GPU 305 may output a signal to aliquid crystal display (LCD) 316 utilizing a twisted-pair copper cable.The first GPU 305 may also output a signal to a digital visualinterface-integrated (DVI-I) port 320 or to a TV port 323 which may alsoreceive a digital audio signal from the graphic connector 393.

A host interface 356 may couple a second GPU 310 to a graphic connector393 through the bridge 386. The second GPU 310 may include a graphicsengine 353, a frame buffer interface 360, and a display engine 363,which provide the same functionality discussed regarding the first GPU305. However, a LVDS 366, TMDS 370, VGA 373, and TV encoder 376 may notbe active or coupled to a display or output ports. When a first powerregulator 383 and second power regulator 390 provide power to the firstGPU 305, second GPU 310, bridge 386, and switch 303, the GPUs mayoperate in a multi-core processing mode. In a multi-core processingmode, the first GPU 305 and the second GPU 310 may share graphicsprocessing duties and act as coprocessors. The graphics engine 353 inthe second GPU 310 may utilize the VRAM 380 to perform graphicsprocessing, and data may be communicated to the first GPU 305 throughthe switch 303. Similarly, the first GPU may also be performing graphicsprocessing as well. Graphics data processed by the first GPU 305 and thesecond GPU 310 may be provided to the display engine 330 for output to adisplay or an output port.

In a single GPU mode, an IHS may not require the processing power ofmultiple GPUs, thus allowing power consumption by the multi-coregraphics solution 300 to be reduced by disabling one or more GPUs. Forinstance, a portable IHS may provide a mode in which limitedfunctionality is provided with a short boot time, such as a multimediamode. A user may select a multimedia mode when a particular multimediaoperation is desired, but the user does not want to wait for the IHS tocompletely boot. In a multimedia mode, the limited functionalityprovided by an IHS may not require the processing power of multipleGPUs. For instance, a user may want to play music, check email, or viewan appointment book without having to wait the entire duration for theIHS to boot. By providing a multimedia mode, a user may utilize an IHS'sbasic functions without having to wait for the OS to boot, which maysometimes require a significant amount of time.

In the single GPU mode, a second GPU 310 may be disabled or essentiallypowered down. A multi-core graphics solution 300 may provide separatelycontrolled power regulators 383 and 390 to allow one of the GPUs andother components to be disabled in a single GPU mode. A system embeddedcontroller (EC) (not shown) may receive a control signal to disable asecond GPU 310 when a low power mode is desired. An EC may communicatewith the BIOS to control various functions in an IHS, such as systempower on/off, a keyboard controller, battery charging, thermal/fancontrol, and various other functions in the IHS. For instance, if the ECdetermines that the user requested a multimedia mode on system power-up,the control signal may be asserted to disable all but a first GPU 305. Asecond power regulator 390 may be powered down, which disables a switch303 and the second GPU 310 including VRAM 380. By disabling the switch303 between the GPUs 305 and 310, current leakage from the first GPU 305to the second GPU 310 may be prevented. Further, thermal sensor(s) 382detecting the temperature of the second GPU 310 may be turned off orignored and fan(s) 388 cooling the second GPU 310 may be turned off. Inone implementation, the clock rate of the first GPU 305 may be increasedwhen the second GPU 310 is powered down to improve graphics processingin a single GPU mode. While increasing the clock rate may increase powerconsumption in the single GPU mode, the power consumption may still besignificantly lower than a multiple GPU processing mode.

FIG. 4 provides an illustrative flow diagram of a multi-core graphicssystem booting process. A user may power or turn on an IHS by pressing apower button or a special mode button. When an IHS is powered on, a bootmode may be detected to determine whether the multi-core graphicssolution should enable multiple GPUs or a single GPU. In step 410, aBIOS may determine if a S5 boot has occurred. If a S5 boot is detected,then the BIOS may determine if an instant-on boot has occurred in step430. If an instant-on boot is detected, the additional GPU cores may bedisabled in step 460. Next, the portable IHS may then be booted to aninstant-on environment providing limited functionality in step 470. Ifan instant-on boot is not detected, the additional GPU cores may beenabled in step 440 to allow a normal boot mode. Once the additional GPUcores are enabled, the system may be booted in a normal operating modein step 450. If a S5 boot has not occurred in step 410, then the BIOSmay restore a pre-determined state for additional GPU cores in step 420.Once the pre-determined state of the GPUs is restored, the system mayresume normal operation in step 450.

By providing the ability to disable additional GPU cores, a multimediamode with increased battery life may be achieved by having a single GPUcore operating at a higher clock rate. The multi-core graphics solutionmay provide both single and multi-core operation modes, which providethe flexibility to supply high quality graphics processing or reducedpower consumption when desired. While several dual GPU implementationsare discussed, the scope of the invention is in no way limited to dualGPU implementation. Similar solutions for any multi-core graphicssolution may be implemented for additional GPU cores.

Various methods are contemplated including all or less than all of thesteps described herein and/or mentioned above, any number of repeats orany of the steps shown and/or mentioned above, and performance of thesteps in any order.

Methods of the present disclosure, detailed description and claims maybe presented in terms of logic, software or software implemented aspectstypically encoded on a variety of media or medium including, but notlimited to, computer-readable medium/media, machine-readablemedium/media, program storage medium/media or computer program product.Such media may be handled, read, sensed and/or interpreted by an IHS.Those skilled in the art will appreciate that such media may takevarious forms such as cards, tapes, magnetic disks (e.g., floppy disk orhard drive) and optical disks (e.g., compact disk read only memory(“CD-ROM”) or digital versatile disc (“DVD”)). It should be understoodthat the given implementations are illustrative only and shall not limitthe present disclosure.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference toparticular examples, embodiments and/or implementations, those skilledin the art will recognize that modifications and variations may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subjectmatter. Such changes in form and detail, including use of equivalentfunctional and/or structural substitutes for elements described herein,fall within the scope of the appended claims and are intended to becovered by this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for managing power consumption in aninformation handling system (IHS), the method comprising: detecting apower-on in the IHS, wherein the IHS comprises a first graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), at least one additional GPU, and a switchcoupling the first GPU to the at least one additional GPU; determiningif the IHS boots to a simplified operating system (OS), the simplifiedOS loading less than all drivers of hardware of the IHS; and disablingthe at least one additional GPU if the IHS boots to the simplified OS,the switch being powered down when booting to the simplified OS.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the IHS restores the at least one additionalGPU to a pre-determined state if a normal boot is not implemented,wherein the pre-determined state is a state of the first GPU and the atleast one additional GPU saved prior to the power-on.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first GPU and the at least one additional GPU areenabled if a normal boot is implemented and booting to the simplified OShas not occurred.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the IHS furthercomprises a thermal sensor and a fan associated with the at least oneadditional GPU, the thermal sensor and the fan being disabled if bootingto the simplified OS occurred.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thesimplified OS only loads a set of device drivers that are need for amultimedia mode in the IHS.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the IHSutilizes a quick boot to boot to the simplified OS.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a clock rate of the first GPU is increased when the atleast one additional GPU is disabled.
 8. An information handling system(IHS) comprising: a first graphics processing unit (GPU) and at leastone additional GPU, wherein the at least one additional GPU is coupledto the first GPU by a switch, and the first GPU and the at least oneadditional GPU are coupled to a graphic connector through a bridge; amemory operable to store firmware, wherein the firmware detects whethera power-on occurs in the IHS; and a controller coupled to the memory,wherein the controller is configured to disable the at least oneadditional GPU in the event the power-on occurs and the informationhandling system boots to a simplified operating system (OS), thesimplified OS loading less than all drivers of hardware of the IHS;wherein the switch coupling the first GPU to the at least one additionalGPU is powered down when the at least one additional GPU is disabled. 9.The system of claim 8, wherein the controller restores the at least oneadditional GPU to a pre-determined state if a normal boot does notoccur, wherein the pre-determined state is a state of the first GPU andthe at least one additional GPU saved prior to the power-on.
 10. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the first GPU and the at least one additionalGPU are enabled if a normal boot occurs and booting to the simplified OSdoes not occur.
 11. The system of claim 8 further comprising: at leastone thermal sensor coupled to the at least one additional GPU, whereinthe at lease one thermal sensor is disabled when the at least oneadditional GPU is disabled; and a fan for cooling the at least oneadditional GPU, wherein the fan is disabled when the at least oneadditional GPU is disabled.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein thesimplified operating system (OS) only loads a set of device drivers thatare need for a multimedia mode in the IHS.
 13. The system of claim 8,wherein a clock rate of the first GPU is increased when the at least oneadditional GPU is disabled.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the IHSutilizes a quick boot to boot to the simplified OS.
 15. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions forreducing power consumption in an information handling system (IHS), themethod comprising: detecting a power-on in the IHS, wherein the IHScomprises a first graphics processing unit (GPU), at least oneadditional GPU, and a switch coupling the first GPU to the at least oneadditional GPU; determining if the IHS boots to a simplified operatingsystem (OS), the simplified OS loading less than all drivers of hardwareof the IHS; and disabling the at least one additional GPU if the IHSboots to the simplified OS, the switch being powered down when bootingto the simplified OS.
 16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15,wherein the IHS restores the at least one additional GPU to apre-determined state if a normal boot is not implemented, wherein thepre-determined state is a state of the first GPU and the at least oneadditional GPU saved prior to the power-on.
 17. The computer-readablemedium of claim 15, wherein the first GPU and the at least oneadditional GPU are enabled if a normal boot is implemented and bootingto the simplified OS has not occurred.
 18. The computer-readable mediumof claim 15, wherein the IHS further comprises a thermal sensor and afan associated with the at least one additional GPU, the thermal sensorand the fan being disabled if booting to the simplified OS occurred. 19.The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the simplified OS onlyloads a set of device drivers that are need for a multimedia mode in theIHS.
 20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the IHSutilizes a quick boot to boot to the simplified OS.